Air-check for voting-machines.



No. 777,150. PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904. B. T. SEE'LYE. AIR CHECK FOR VOTING MACHINES.

APPLIUATION FILED APE.15, 1904.

NO MODEL.

, ByAtfigm/H Patented December 13, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

BYRON T. SEELYE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AIR-CHECK FOR VOTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,150, dated December 13, 1904.

Application filed April 15, 1904. Serial No. 203,283- (No model.)

1'0 cit/J 10/1/0771, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BYRON T. SEELYE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flournoy street, city of Chicago, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Checks for Voting-Machines, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use my said invention.

My invention relates to voting-machines of that type which employ slidable perforated dropping slides to deposit balls in underlying ballot-boxes. Machines of this type are ordinarily constructed and arranged so that the voter may operate a single lever to simultaneously move all of the slides outward into position "to be adjusted by the voter as he may desire during the operation of voting and so constructed and arranged that the judges of theelec-tion may by operating a single lever simultaneously move all of the slides rearwardly into position for use by the next succeeding voter. In practice it is found that in the hurry incident to voting the voter is very likely to move the lever too quickly, thereby causing undue concussion of the parts and unnecessary strain on the mechanism.

The purpose of my invention is to provide an air-cushion housed within the cabinet of the voting-machine and adapted to prevent too sudden movement and undue concussion and strain of the mechanism during the simultaneous outward movement of all of the slides.

ith'this purpose in view my'invention consists in the novel features of construction and combinations of 'parts shown in the anneXed drawings, to which reference is hereby made, and hereinafter particularly described, and finally recited in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a voting-machine embodying my improvements and shows only such operative parts ofthe machine as are necessary toillustrate the connection of my improved air-check with the machine. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section taken on the axis of the aircylinder, and Fig. i is an enlarged partial vertical section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference-letters designate like parts in all of the views.

The main structure of the machine consists of a cabinet A. Perforated slides B are slidable in the cabinet between guides B, and the perforations in the slides are registerable with suitable openings in ball-boxesC underlying the slides. Horizontal longitudinal shafts I) are mounted to turn in the cabinet. Toothed segment-wheels D, secured on the shafts, engage with the teeth of rack-bars E, which are horizontally slidable between suitable guides E on the cabinet. A cross-bar F connects the rack-bars E and engages with upwardly-projecting pins 1) on the slides B, respectively, to move all of the slides simultaneously outward. Levers G are connected with the shafts D by screws 9, screwing into the ends of the shafts, so that the levers may be detached for convenience in transportation. An arm G, having at its lower end a slot is secured on the shaft D by a setscrew g A cylinder H is mounted to oscillate on a stationary block H, secured in suitable position inside of the cabinet. Near the closed end of the cylinder H is a suitable valve 7t, permitting gradual escape of air from the cylinder.

A piston H is secured to a rod H which is connected with the lower member of the arm G by a pin it, sliding in the slot g. The rod H slides in a suitable gland in a diaphragm if near one end of the cylinder H. A coiled spring H" surrounds the rod H One end of the spring H abuts against a nut it, screwing into the diaphragm lt and the other end abuts against a collar it on the rod H The operation of the device is as follows: WVhen it is desired to move all of the slides simultaneously outward, it is only necessary for the voter to pull on the upper end'of the front lever G, thereby turning the front segment-wheels D so as to move the rack-bars forwardly and cause the cross-bar to engage with the pins on the slides and move all of the slides simultaneously outward. \Vhen the front lever G is pulled forward or the rear lever G is pushed rearward, the piston H travels rearward in the cylinder, cushioning the air in the cylinder until it gradually escapes through the valve h, thereby preventing too rapid movement of the lever and the slides.

The spring II also serves as a cushion and permits the use of a shorter cylinder and greater movement of the lever than could be obtained if a cylinder and piston alone were used, as in that case it would be necessary to employ a cylinder of inconvenient length. The spring also reacts and assists in retracting the piston and restoring the lever to its initial position.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a voting-machine, the combination of a cabinet, dropping slides slidable in said cabinet, means for simultaneously moving all said dropping slides outward, an oscillative aircylinder having a valve, a piston slidable in said cylinder, and a connecting-rod connecting said piston with the means for operating said slides, as set forth.

2. In a Voting-machine, the combination of a cabinet, a shaft turnable in said cabinet, toothed segment-wheels on said shaft, rackbars operative by said segment-wheels, a crossbar connecting said rack-bars, dropping slides operative by said cross-bar, an oscillative aircylinder having a valve, a lever secured on said shaft, a piston slidable in said cylinder, a rod connecting said piston with said shaft, and a spring acting to retract said piston, as set forth.

3. In a voting-machine the combination of a cabinet, a shaft turning in bearings on said cabinet, aleveriitting on the end of said shaft, a securing device connecting said lever with said shaft, segment-wheels secured on said shaft, rack-bars meshing with said segmentwheels, slides slidable in said cabinet and having upwardly-projecting pins, a cross-bar connecting said rack-bars and engaging with the pins on said slide, an arm secured on said shaft, a cylinder mounted to oscillate in said cabinet, and a piston working in said cylinder and connected with the arm secured on said shaft, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereto subscribed my name, at Bloomington, Illinois, this 8th day of April, 1904:.

BYRON 'l. SEELYE.

itnesses:

F. M. FoLLIoK, H. W. BARR. 

